The Certainty of Divine Promises
It is written: 'And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and he conceived, and she bore Samuel' (1 Sam 1:20). Regarding this, the meaning is said concerning Rebekah: 'She was a virgin, and a man had not known her' (Gen 24:67). And the virgin Mary, the unwedded one, having heard about the conception of a child from the great angel Gabriel, said: 'How can this be to me, since I do not know a man?' (Luke 1:34).
We consider that the present prophecy has not been bypassed in vain; for this has risen to clarity because of the unclearly spoken thus: 'I will come down so that I may see if they are complying according to their cry that is coming; but if not, so that I may know.' For it was necessary to reveal by what meaning it was said by God: 'So that I may know.'
God did not repent, having thought to punish and to expose the insolent upon something, remaining in the judgment against them; but from what source He repented, to see the opportunity in innate goodness.
Not having known His intent to bless Judah and Israel, He waited for their remaining in the virtue with which they took up their task from the exhortation of God and of His law; for it is said in one of the Psalms: 'He will give blessing to the lawgiver' (Ps 112:3), that is, to those guarding His divine law. Equally, it is brought forth in another Psalm, beginning from here: 'Who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord, and who shall stand in His holy place? He who is innocent in hands and pure in heart, who has not taken his soul in vain, nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbor. This one shall receive blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God his Savior' (Ps 15:4).
For having been said spiritually: 'Who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord, and who shall stand in His holy place?' an answer is given, delineating who is and what kind of person is the one about whom the question is, that he is by hands, that is to say, by action, innocent through purity of heart, not at all having taken his soul in vain, or deceitfully swearing to his neighbor, receiving upon these manly deeds both blessing and mercy from God his Savior. In agreement, it is also brought forth in Proverbs: 'Blessing...'
"...for the Lord upon the head of the righteous." The one who has grasped these saving things will not fall away from the promise, being led into the divine promises by the one saying: 'I have set to bless Judah and Israel, and I have not repented' (Zech 8:8). He remains by his grace so as to do well and to lead into eternal salvation those for whom he has not repented, confirming what he promised: even if your fathers provoked him through sin and impiety, and a curse spoke, he did not repent of the threat, nor did he grant you reconciliation from the evil you had through recognition, but therefore both now let your heart be courageous to expect the gifts from me.
For they shall certainly be of my willing and having set to bless you; for it shall be well with you, as you belong to Judah, the one confessing, and to Israel and Jerusalem. 'For wanting to save all men and to come into the knowledge of truth' (1 Tim 2:4), I threaten, I lash those opposing the knowing of the truth of the super-arrogant salvation, subjecting to a little pain those whom I want to improve and to do well. For thus, having been easily benefited, they shall be saved, my having set without regret to save and to do well those whom I have chosen, so that they may be part of and my inheritance.
If we also wish to have God in a propitiatory relation so that he may dispose well toward us, let our intellect, called the heart, be courageous, having made care for excellent works, so that the things of well-being and endless salvation may exist certainly and irrefutably, having been described and having been made manifest from all things, the curse which held on for a little. Therefore be courageous without doubt, expecting what the truthful God promised; for he having said: 'Be courageous' (Zech 13:7), without doubt the hoped-for good things are to be received.
Having sufficiently described the second volume concerning the prophet Zechariah, at which let us rest, beginning the third discourse, 'providing a word in the opening of the mouth' of God, who also enlightened the prophet with the eternal light.
Greek
γέγραπται· «Ἔγνω δὲ Ἑλκανὰ Ἄνναν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ συνέλαβεν, καὶ ἔτεκεν τὸν Σαμουήλ.» Κατὰ τοῦτο τὸ σημαινόμενον εἴρηται περὶ τῆς Ῥεβέκκας· «Παρθένος ἦν, ἀνὴρ οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτήν.» Καὶ ἡ ἀπειρόγαμος δὲ παρθένος Μαριάμ, περὶ συλλήμψεως τέκνου ἀκούσασα πρὸς τοῦ μεγάλου ἀγγέλου Γαβριήλ, ἔφη· «Καὶ πόθεν μοι τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω;» 2.365 Οὐκ ἀχρήστως παρεκβεβηκέναι τοῦ προκειμένου προφητικοῦ ἡγούμεθα· ὑπῆρκται γὰρ τοῦτο σαφηνείας ἕνεκα τοῦ ἀσαφῶς εἰρημένου οὕτως· «Καταβὰς οὖν ὄψομαι εἰ κατὰ τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν τὴν ἐρχομένην συντελοῦνται· εἰ δὲ μή, ἵνα γνῶ.» Ἔδει γὰρ φανερῶσαι κατὰ ποῖον σημαινόμενον εἴρηται ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τό· «Ἵνα γνῶ». 2.366 ∆είξαντες ἐπὶ τίσιν τῶν παροργισάντων διανοηθεὶς ὁ Θεὸς κακῶσαι καὶ ἐπαράτους ἀναδεῖξαι οὐ μετενόησεν, ἐμμείνας τῇ κατ' αὐτῶν ψήφῳ, ἐκ τίνων δὲ μετενόησεν ἐμφύτῳ ἀγαθότητι καιρὸς ἰδεῖν. 2.367 Ὡς προθέμενος εὐλογῆσαι τὸν Ἰούδα καὶ Ἰσραὴλ οὐμετέγνω, ἐμμεινάντων αὐτῶν τῇ ἀρετῇ ᾗ ἀνέλαβον ἐκ προτροπῆς Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ νόμου αὐτοῦ· εἴρηται γὰρ ἐν ἑνὶ τῶν Ψαλμῶν· «∆ώσει εὐλογίας ὁ νομοθετῶν», δηλαδὴ τοῖς φυλάττουσιν τὸν θεῖον αὐτοῦ νόμον. Ἰσοδυναμούντως καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ Ψαλμῷ φέρεται, ἔνθεν ἀρχόμενον· «Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ τίς στήσεται ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ; ἀθῷος χερσὶν καὶ καθαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὃς οὐκ ἔλαβεν ἐπὶ ματαίῳ τὴν 79 ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ ὤμοσεν ἐπὶ δόλῳ τῷ πλησίον. Οὗτος λήμψεται εὐλογίαν παρὰ Κυρίου, καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην παρὰ Θεοῦ σωτῆρος αὐτοῦ.» 2.368 Λεχθέντος γὰρ πυσματικῶς· «Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ τίς στήσεται ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ;» ἀπόκρισις δίδοται διαγράφουσα τίς ἐστιν καὶ οἷος ὁ περὶ οὗ ἡ ἐρώτησις, ὅτι χερσίν, τοῦτ' ἔστιν πράξεσιν, ἀθῷός ἐστιν διὰ καθαρότητα καρδίας, οὐδαμῶς ἐπὶ ματαίῳ λαβὼν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ, ἢ δολερῶς ὀμόσας τῷ πλησίον, λημψόμενος ἐπὶ τούτοις τοῖς ἀνδραγαθήμασιν εὐλογίαν τε καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην παρὰ Θεοῦ σωτῆρος αὐτοῦ. Συμφώνως καὶ ἐν Παροιμίαις φέρεται· «Εὐλογία Κυρίου ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν δικαίου.» 2.369 Ὁ ταῦτα τὰ σωτηριώδη εἰληφὼς οὐ μεταπεσεῖται τῆς ὑποσχ̣έσ̣εως, εἰσαγόμενος εἰς τὰς θείας ἐπαγγελίας πρὸς τοῦ λέγοντος· «Παρατέταγμαι εὐλογῆσαι τὸν Ἰούδα καὶ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ οὐ μετενόησα», ἐμμείνας χάριτι τῇ ἐμαυτοῦ ὥστε καλῶς ποιῆσαι καὶ εἰς αἰώνιον σωτήριον ἀγαγεῖν τοὺς ἐφ' οἷς οὐ μετενόησα, βεβαιώσας ἃ ἐπηγγειλάμην· εἰ καὶ παροργισάντων δι' ἁμαρτίας καὶ ἀσεβείας τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν, κατάρα διέλαβεν, οὐ μετανοήσαντός μου ἐκ τῆς ἀπειλῆς, οὐ παρασχόντων ὑμῶν διὰ μεταγνώσεως ἀφ' ἧς ἔσχετε κακίας καταλλαγάς μου γενέσθαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἀλλ' οὖν καὶ νῦν θαρσησάτω ἡ καρδία ὑμῶν προσδοκῆσαι τὰς παρ' ἐμοῦ δωρεάς. 2.370 Ἔσονται γὰρ πάντως θελήσαντός μου καὶ παραταξαμένου εὐλογῆσαι ὑμᾶς· οὕτω γὰρ καλῶς ἔσται ὑμῖν, τυγχάνουσιν ἐκ τοῦ Ἰούδα, τοῦ ἐξομολογουμένου, καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰερουσαλήμ. «Σῶσαι γὰρ πάντας ἀνθρώπους θέλων καὶ ἐλθεῖν εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας», ἀπειλῶ, μαστίζω τοὺς ἀντιπράττοντας τῷ ἐπιγνῶναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὑπεραιωνίου σωτηρίας, πρὸς ὀλίγον πόνοις ὑποβάλλων οὓς βελτιοῦν καὶ εὖ ποιεῖν βούλομαι. Οὕτω γὰρ ῥᾷστα ὠφεληθέντες σωθήσονται, παρατεταγμένου μου ἀμεταμελήτως σῶσαι καὶ καλῶς ποιῆσαι τοὺς ἐκλεγέντας, ἵνα μερὶς καὶ κληρονομία μου ὦσιν. 2.371 Εἰ βουλόμεθα καὶ ἡμεῖς ἵλεω τὸν Θεὸν σχεῖν ἵν' εὖ ἡμᾶς διαθῇ, θαρσησάτω τὸ διανοητικὸν ἡμῶν, καρδία καλούμενον, ἔργων ἀρίστων ἐπιμέλειαν ποιησάμενοι, ἵνα βεβαίως καὶ ἀναντιρρήτως τὰ τῆς εὐπαθείας καὶ ἀπεράντου σωτηρίας ὑπαρχθῇ, περιγραφείσης καὶ ἐξ ὅλων ἠφανισμένης τῆς πρὸς ὀλίγον κρατησάσης κατάρας. ∆ιὸ θαρσεῖτε ἀνενδοιάστως, προσδοκῶντες ἃ ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ ἀψευδὴς Θεός· αὐτοῦ γὰρ εἰρηκότος· «Θαρσεῖτε», ἀναμφιβόλως ἐκδεκτέον τὰ ἐλπιζόμενα ἀγαθά. 2.372 Αὐταρκῶς περιγεγραμμένου τοῦ δευτέρου τόμου εἰς τὸν προφήτην Ζαχαρίαν, αὐτοῦ που καταπαύσωμεν, ἀρξόμενοι τρίτου λόγου, «παρέχοντος λόγον ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματος» τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ καὶ τὸν προφήτην φωτίσαντος τῷ ἀειδίῳ φωτί.
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
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Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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